Supply Chain Management: Coming to a School Near You

It’s no secret that leadership in supply chain management is key to global competitiveness. The big hurdle: finding and hiring talent with the necessary know-how.

The growing demand is working its way into the curriculum of colleges and universities all around the country. Just last year, the Wall Street Journal reported more than a half-dozen universities have introduced “undergraduate majors, M.B.A. concentrations and even entire degree programs dedicated to procurement, inventory management and global supply-chain strategy.”

Students who achieve these degrees are reaping the benefits. Fortune 500 companies in virtually are eyeing these programs and the students graduating.

And they’re willing to pay. The WSJ article stated that for the class of 2012 at Arizona State, supply chain majors earned an average starting salary of $56,410, compared with $50,098 for undergraduate business students in general. Furthermore, students who achieved an M.B.A. level of supply chain jobs reported starting salaries averaging 6% more than most other M.B.A.’s.

Put simply, supply chain management is a high demand skill-set, and – for the time being – it doesn’t look like it’s going to change. Just look at the proliferation of SKU’s, global sourcing and JIT requirements. Or, think about how the meal you’re eating got from the farm to your fork. That’s right, supply chain management – it’s the world we live in and it’s on the rise.

ABOUT HANSON LOGISTICS

Hanson Logistics provides end-to-end temperature-controlled distribution, transportation, warehousing and supply chain services, including multi-vendor consolidation services to the nation's major retailers. As one of the largest providers in the US, the company operates a growing refrigerated transportation fleet and 9 facilities in the central states, totaling 39 million cu. ft. with more than 200 Hanson teammates.